Vail/Beaver Creek Selected To Host 2015 World Alpine Championships

Despite stiff competition from several European venues, the Colorado sister resorts will host ski racing's biggest event for the third time in 26 years.

The International Ski Federation announced today that it had selected Vail and Beaver Creek to host the men's and women's World Alpine Ski Championships in 2015.

The FIS ruling council selected the North American venues over Cortina, Italy, and St. Moritz, Switzerland, thus denying Europe its eighth consecutive Championships.

But the Colorado resorts are no rookies when it comes to hosting world-class skiing events. Both strong supporters of the World Cup circuit since its inception in 1967, Vail and Beaver Creek have hosted numerous elite, international speed and technical events. Among them were the 1989 and 1999 World Championships as well as annual men's World Cup races. Beaver Creek's Birds of Prey course—one of the most exciting and challenging on the men's World Cup circuit and the only U.S. stop on the tour—will host both the men's and women's speed events as well as the men's technical races in 2015. In anticipation, Beaver Creek will upgrade the venue, construct a new restaurant at Red Tail Camp (the finish area) and design a new women's course, expected to rival the men's in speed and challenge. The women's technical events will take place next door, on Vail's Giant Steps trail.

Vail's own Lindsey Vonn was among the first to congratulate her hometown after the announcement was made. "Wooohooo!" she Tweeted. "I'm so excited!! Congrats to everyone in Vail." As a budding racer, Lindsey volunteered at the 1999 Worlds and has since won two World Championships golds (2009 downhill and super-G). If she competes in 2015, she'll race on the trail adjacent to "Lindsey's," which was renamed in her honor after her 2010 Olympic and World Cup victories.

Click here to see the Vail delegation's reaction upon hearing the announcement.

"We are thrilled to focus international attention on our iconic slopes and community during the winter of 2015," said Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz. You can follow the developments at beavercreek.com. Also, get a preview of the big event this winter, when the men's World Cup returns to the Birds of Prey course December 3–5, 2010.